Yesterday (Saturday), Barcelona registered its most impressive victory of the season, when it defeated Sevilla 0:3 away, with another convincing football display and many encouraging moments for Xavi and the team’s fans. The one who stands out above all others is Robert Lewandowski, the striker of the purchase, who scored again yesterday, setting up the first goal for Rafinha, and after four seasons he is already the top scorer of La Liga with five goals. “This victory is a good sign for us,” admitted Xavi, “we are in good shape… 0:3 in Pijuan? Not many will win here.” However, the coach did not want to go out of his way, adding that “it is still too early to talk, we must remain humble.”
Lewandowski came with a lot of expectations, but proves that he is worth the effort and the fuss around him. The goal he scored illustrated his abilities, with great movement that cleared him, a skillful stop on the chest and a clean and sharp kick to the net. However, Xavi claims that “Lewandowski is much more than a goalscorer. He always does the right action, he is used in a great way as a goal player, he helps to press, he is a leader, he helps everyone, he is a winner, humble, it is great that he is with us. He A fantastic player.”
Xavi is encouraged by another game in which Barça kept a clean sheet (“It’s very important”), by the fact that Conde changed positions and helped the attack (“Sergi also entered the game well”), by Dembele’s ability (“I know what he is capable of, I I like the way he plays, he makes a difference”), but for him the best player in the game was Gabi. “He doesn’t surprise me,” said Xavi, “I see him training every day, he works hard, he has discipline, a big heart, I think he was the best on the field. Because of his intensity, his dedication, the high pressure, He is a heart with legs, and he brings a lot of passion to the game. His intensity gives us a lot.”
But with all due respect to Barcelona, it is still below Real Madrid, who yesterday kept the perfect balance in the league with a 1:2 victory over Betis with two goals from Vinicius and Rodrigo. Although a less impressive victory, Carlo Ancelotti knows: “Our goal is to play effective football, which allows us to take points and win games. Then, with the qualities we have, we can also provide good football and good games. And now on Tuesday comes the difficult game of all”. Real will play on Tuesday in Scotland against Celtic.
The coach of the European champions knows that he has a luxury: “Choosing the 11 for the team from this squad is almost impossible, because you leave out players who can play in any team in the world, and it’s difficult. Today I left out Kroos and Valverde.” To his delight, Valverde stepped in and gave Rodrigo the winning goal. “He is a special striker, he can play in many positions in the attack, he is very smart and effective one on one, he is an important asset for Real Madrid,” said the coach about the Brazilian who once again scored an important goal.
The one who looked a little tired was Karim Benzema, the only senior striker in the squad, but according to Ancelotti, “It’s not true that we don’t have backup for Benzema. There are many: Mariano, Hazard, Rodrigo, sometimes Asensio, sometimes Modric (laughs)… maybe it didn’t work out him today, but we won’t kill him. We play every three days, he might need a rest.”